It must have been the dream of early photographers to shoot without regrets, to capture moments without restraint. I imagine the cost of film was a significant factor to consider before clicking the shutter in those times. Early filmmakers like Francis Coppola and George Lucas championed the digitization of movies, and I believe a similar sentiment would have prevailed in the world of photography.
Now that this dream has become a reality, I find myself questioning: am I too careless? Do I no longer take the time to compose a proper shot before eagerly pressing that digital button? After all, it’s free to shoot—let’s capture it all. Out of a batch of 100 shots, at least five are bound to be decent, and I don’t pay a dime for the remaining 95 shots that will forever slumber in my hard drive.
If I’m callous in my approach, I’m certainly not alone. Just visit a popular tourist destination, and you’ll encounter countless individuals armed with their cell phone cameras, each striving to immortalize the beauty before them. Some aim for perfection within the limits of their abilities, while others casually snap away. Frequently, I also spot a few professionals with their tripods and high-end cameras, dedicated to capturing the scene in all its glory.
Personally, I still carry a DSLR with me wherever I go, along with my trusty phone. Nowadays, my trips aren’t solely centered around photography, and I don’t prepare as meticulously as I once did. Nevertheless, I continue to capture a multitude of photographs. The places I visit still evoke excitement within me. However, there comes a point when I stop and say to myself, “I have taken enough pictures.” It’s not due to concerns about storage space or its scarcity; it’s mostly the feeling that I’ve done the best I can, given the circumstances.
For the first time in a long while, Banff challenged this notion. It was a place of abundant natural beauty where every gaze, every vista—a location, a waterfall, a lake, distant mountain ranges—could inspire at least 20 ideas for framing a shot. Amidst the multitude of visitors—perhaps a thousand people with a thousand cameras or more—Banff catered to everyone’s desire to capture its allure. Everyone was clicking away, and I was no exception. Some opted to record videos, sparing them the need to take countless photos.
I suppose what I want to convey is that it’s not often I encounter a place that truly demands attention. A place that instills the fear of losing a memory if you fail to capture every nook and cranny. A place that draws an immense crowd, including people like myself who tend to shy away from such throngs. That, in essence, is Banff.